Disney Tips #5; Great Disney Snack Ideas

We’ve always brought our own snacks along with us to the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Even back on our first visit to Disneyworld back in 2003 we packed healthy and nutritious snacks for the whole family.

Just a little background here …

We first visited WDW in 2003, and loved it!! We became instantly addicted to Disney World and just had to come once a year after that.

In 2009 we moved here to Florida, just miles from Disney, just to to have Walt Disney World as our backyard!

At first (on vacation, and after moving here and becoming locals), we packed a backpack full of healthy food for the day.

After hundreds of visits to the parks and resorts we got a good system down. 🙂

I want to stress that the most important thing to me as a parent is packing healthy foods, and in this case I’m referring to healthy food being food that is nutritious, and actually beneficial to you. Food your body needs when it’s using up so much energy in the hot Florida sun.

Pop Tarts, candy, soda, Kool Aid, cookies, crackers, granola bars, gold fish (tasty, but they break into a million pieces by mid day), these things are all tasty snacks your kids love, and they are all portable and easy to deal with in the parks, but they aren’t really what your body needs.

I learned to pack nutritious snacks that make our bodies feel good, and that sustain our energy throughout the day.

The most important thing is to start your day, afternoon, or evening off right. Eat a healthy meal before you head out. Make sure to be hydrated and eat a meal packed with protein. Don’t go out hungry.

Bring your nutritious snacks for when you start to get hungry. Sometimes you may not even be hungry, but after hours in the park you should eat a something with protein in it anyway because your body needs it. This is where protein bars, and protein shakes come in handy.

If you’re going to be out all day, eat your snacks before and after lunch. If you eat a good breakfast, snack in the afternoon, eat a big lunch (Character Dining!!), and eat more good for you snacks later in the evening you will feel great, and save money too!

Many days my children will say they don’t want anything for later in the parks, but I always tuck one protein bar away for each child. They always end up getting hungry, and being thankful for it later.

When I’m headed to the parks there’s 2 food things I never leave home without. Water and protein bars!

I can go without the fruit, the nuts, the sandwiches, but I can’t go without water, and protein bars. They are the most perfect, handy, and convenient forms of nutrition!

I listed my favorites above. We’ve pretty much tried all the natural ones since we started eating healthy in 1999. It took each of us a long time to find our favorites. They are not created equal! Check the labels, and try some out to find your favorites.

*Note: Disney will allow small coolers (that you can carry), in all of their theme parks except for Animal Kingdom, unless you have a medical need for one, then you can take it into Animal Kingdom and they will store it for you while you’re visiting.

You can bring your own food into the parks, but please note that glass is not allowed to come into any of the Disney parks, so leave those glass bottles at home, or in the resort room.

We hope that this information post, Disney Tips #5; Great Disney Snack Ideas, will help you enjoy your days at Disney better, and keep you feeling well and energized on your Disney vacation!

We also hope it will help you save some money so you can spend it in the Disney gift shops!